Life is a Game: Dream or Dare to be in Google
The alumni of Daffodil International University live and work worldwide, and their spirit of service is ever-present in the hearts and minds of so many. In an exclusive interview with the Office of the DIU Alumni Cell (The Daily Star), a Bangladeshi computer engineer and alumnus of Daffodil International University, Engr. Shanewaz Ahmed, who landed a role at Google as Technical Solutions Engineer (TSE) says, “we can reach our goals by specializing in our skillset and working hard enough if we dare to dream of a goal for ourselves”. We caught up with Shanewaz to find out how he got his dream job and what career advice he has for other students.
Early on in his life, Shanewaz met with various challenges. He wanted to become a Navy Officer and worked hard for it. Two times in a row, he reached as far as the ISSB but was eventually turned down by the selection board. However, this did not affect his motivation as he also had an alternative career choice in mind, which was to go for ‘engineering’. Finally, he decided to pursue a bachelor’s program in computer engineering. Accordingly, he completed his BSc. in Computer Science & Engineering from Daffodil International University (DIU). To reach today’s position, his university was a great motivation for him. His teachers were very welcoming, knowledgeable, and excellent mentors. In addition, the diversified skill-building training and extra-curricular programs at the university prepared him to succeed in every aspect of life.
From the beginning of his career, he grew a particular interest in computer infrastructure and networking domains and was passionate to specialize in those. He worked for about ten years in these areas in Bangladesh. Then he decided to move to North America either for education or as a permanent resident. Canada was his first preference because of the quality of life and growth opportunities in his field of work there. As his work experience from Bangladesh in computer networking and infrastructure was one of the skills in demand in Canada, he chose to immigrate to Canada as a PR under the Skilled Worker Program. He finally moved to Canada in 2017. In Canada, he worked in various technology roles at different companies, and his primary focus was infrastructure/networking. He applied to Google for this TSE position, received the interview call, went through Google’s rigorous screening and recruitment process, and finally joined the company in November of 2021.
After joining Google as a TSE with the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) team, he is so excited to have the opportunity to work, learn and grow with this top-tier technology company. The work environment and culture are very innovative and friendly. He is working towards enhancing his skills in the Google Cloud Computing domain, with a particular focus on cloud platform infrastructure.
He says, “there are various specialization areas in the Information Technology field today, and Tech Giant companies are constantly looking for specialists in Software development, Networking, Infrastructure, Big Data, Data Analytics, Security, Business Analysis and so on for those positions.” He believes Cloud Computing is a popular and demanding field, given the current opportunities in the market. Back home, he gained valuable experience in on-premises networks. Later on, he worked with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for over two years and built specialization in that area before landing in Google.
He suggests his junior brothers and sisters find their area of interest (for example coding, networking, and database administration, etc.) during the early years of their university life and put extra time and effort, apart from studies, to develop skills in that area. According to him: “we should select a professional career considering what we are passionate about.”
He expressed his gratitude to his beloved Daffodil International University (DIU) for various academic and scholarship support during his study. Also, he thanks the entire CSE Department for his amazing academic life there. He feels proud as an alumnus of DIU, and often visits the University’s website, alumni page, and stays connected with his peers from DIU on social media and professional platforms. He is blessed to be kept in touch with his alma mater.
In the future, he wishes to contribute to the IT training and development field in his beloved Bangladesh and play a significant role in empowering the students of his university, DIU.
